When In Rome
by Chocolate X My Mouth
Summary: Marinette and Adrien's class kicks off their summer with a field trip to Rome! And everything seems to be putting the two together - pictures, restaurants, even sharing a hotel room - and yet, will they figure out their love for one another? And also... why have Ladybug and Chat Noir suddenly shown up in Rome together? (Adrienette/LadyNoir! And also good class bonding)
1. Chapter 1

**One day, I randomly had a burst of inspiration to make the class visit Rome. That's the backstory for this... yep. Very interesting XD**

**Anyway, this is what follows that idea!**

* * *

"We will be taking a field trip to Rome in the summer!"

This caused the class to look up in pure surprise. They had just finished with their history class on US President John F. Kennedy (their last assignment for the week too), so this announcement seemed completely random and out of the blue.

"...What?" Alya finally said.

"We're going to be going to Rome!" Mme. Bustier repeated herself. "It will be the first week and a half of summer vacation for us! This isn't mandatory, but if you're not going, I'll need to know by tomorrow - we'll need to plan ahead for next month."

No one raised their hands as of now to state that they weren't going.

"Okay, for now - the chaperones are me, Mr. D'Argencourt, and Mr. Damocles," she continued. "However, if anyone else wants to suggest a chaperone, feel free to! This is open to relatives as well!"

"Are there any questions?" asked Mme. Bustier.

"Will we get to see the Colosseum?"

"Are we going to go in the Sistine Chapel?"

"Will we see St. Peter's Basilica?"

"Oh my, you all are eager!" the teacher giggled. "Yes to all of those - we will hopefully be able to see the Colosseum later in the day too. I promise you all will love it!"

"Are we going to see Caesar look-alikes?" asked Alix.

"Random, but, as they say... when in Rome!" Mme. Bustier shrugged. "...And I don't know the rest of the saying."

The class lightly giggled at the teacher's joke - she had stated it a thousand times before when they were studying Rome. And now...

They were actually going to be there.

After class dismissed for the weekend, everyone began to file out to their homes and after school clubs. Everyone was talking about how stoked they were for the trip - but one particular individual was wondering how he could go on the trip at all.

Adrien immediately went to Nathalie and the Gorilla in his mind - really, the only two parental figures he had. His father had somehow grown even more and more distant lately... every night he would pray that this would change. And he hoped it would.

But for now, he'd have to just hope that at the very least, Nathalie would be okay with it...

And there was only one way to find out.

* * *

"Would you like to go to Rome with my class and me?"

Adrien's voice sent a sharp message throughout the big room. Nathalie Sancouer, his father's personal assistant, looked up at him with almost shock in her eyes.

"As... as a chaperone?" Nathalie asked. "Do you even know if your father would-"

"If you went!" Adrien said. "This is a real opportunity for me, Nathalie. This is something that I really want to do... there's so much I could learn! So much I could see in Rome - St. Peter's Basilica, the Colosseum, the Vatican Museums, and more! I... I understand if you don't want to, though. Or if I couldn't go."

Something about Adrien's words sent a pang through her heart... despite how idolized he was by the public, or how famous he was, he was still just a boy. A boy who had a desire to live a normal life.

As stoic as Nathalie seemed, a part of her really did care for Adrien. He had no mother to show him love, and his father was barely a father to him.

So it looked like she would be taking a vacation.

"I will organize my vacation days," said Nathalie. "And your bodyguard will be accompanying us."

And like that, she was cut off - by a pair of arms wrapping around her.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you Nathalie!" Adrien exclaimed, hugging so tight she felt like she would burst.

And yet, she couldn't find the words to ask Adrien to let her down from his encasing hug - and a part of her didn't even want him to let go. Dammit Nathalie, why aren't you in character?!

"Y-You're welcome," Nathalie said, finally feeling her feet set back on the ground. "Uh... Um, I-I'll go discuss this with your father. But I would recommend you start making a list of what you need."

Adrien didn't have to be told twice - after telling Nathalie thank you at least five more times, he raced off to his room. The trip wasn't for another month, but Adrien would be prepared.

And Nathalie couldn't help but smile.

She had always wanted to visit Rome, anyway...

* * *

**_May 13th - Start of the trip_**

Marinette happily smiled as she walked down the street to the school with her parents right behind her, her suitcase in tow. She was so excited - Rome was such a fascinating place! The other classes were all doing something with their class for the summer, but nothing, in her mind, that they were doing could compare to a trip to Rome.

"Are you excited, dear?" asked Tom, so happy for his girl.

"Yes! Very!" Marinette said, nearly skipping instead of walking.

"Well, be sure to call and FaceTime us when you get to your room!" Sabine reminded her - she would dearly miss her daughter, but couldn't be prouder of her.

"Of course, maman," smiled Marinette.

When they did reach the school, there were sad but happy goodbyes said, and Sabine somehow managed to get the Gorilla to smile just by waving at him - the Dupain-Chengs really had a charm!

And once the two parents finally worked up the courage to leave, Marinette was left alone with the current crowd - Max, Sabrina, Nathanael, Adrien, Nathalie, Mme. Bustier, and the Gorilla.

"Greetings, Marinette!" Max said. "Are you excited for the trip?"

"Definitely!" Marinette smiled. "I can't wait to see all the beautiful sights!"

"They definitely will be beautiful," Adrien agreed. "This is... I can't believe its even happening, really!"

Marinette smiled softly at her crush. She knew how he had it hard at home, and while it was none of her business, she wanted to do everything she could to keep him as happy as she could make him. That being said, she didn't know if she was doing as good of a job as she could do whenever she was a stuttering mess.

"I've never been to Rome! Or, really, that far out of France!" Sabrina said excitedly. "This is going to be so exciting!"

Even the Gorilla was excited about going to Rome!

Plagg and Tikki, however (disguised in their wielder's respective bags), didn't really care that much. Yes, it was exciting - but Marc Antony and Cleopatra had been Chat Noir and Ladybug for a few years, so they already knew their way around Rome. Despite the fact that they weren't the best wielders, they were iconic...

And as for the rest of the class, they all showed up one by one. Jalil, Alix's brother, arrived as well to be another chaperone, very eager about learning about a different dynasty in history. Chloe had also shown up, but any attempt she made on Adrien was met with death stares from Nathalie and the Gorilla - and somehow they were both equally as frightening.

"A-Adrien... a-are you looking forward this to? I-I mean, to this?" Marinette asked nervously.

"Of course I am!" Adrien smiled. "There's no one I'd rather make this journey with than with you all."

Marinette's mind almost cut off at the "you" - and thank goodness it didn't, otherwise she may have passed out. That, and Alya sneaked up behind her to give her a surprise hug. Nino also came up to bro-hug Adrien, and even though Nathalie was still cautious of the DJ, the Gorilla seemed to enjoy the kid.

"Okay! Is everyone here?" asked Mme. Bustier, clothed in the most casual wear they had ever seen the teacher in.

All of her students said yes, and the chaperones all nodded. They did a head count, and indeed, everyone was there.

"Well then... I guess that's that!" she said happily. "Okay, ladies on first; gentlemen, would you mind staying back for a second?"

"Not at all!" the guys said.

"Such well mannered boys," the teacher said inwardly.

After all the girls got on, the boys followed suit - Mr. D'Argencourt was driving (and when Chloe tried to give him a glare, his curly mustache shot back something far worse), Mr. Damocles and Mme. Bustier were at the front on separate sides, Jalil was on one side, and Nathalie on the other. The Gorilla sat behind Nathalie.

Meanwhile, Alix was sitting by herself in front of Kim and Max (the latter had brought AirPods.), while Ivan any Mylene sat together, obviously. Rose and Juleka sat together too, and Nathanael was originally planning to sit by himself, but after Chloe insisted on having the back to herself, Sabrina sat next to him; he didn't mind her company at all, however. Adrien, Nino, Alya, and Marinette all sat in the same area.

"Okay, one final headcount..." Mme. Bustier said, counting everyone as she went through the rows. "Alright, kids - are we ready for Rome?"

"Yes!" they all chorused.

"Amazing!" she said, clapping her hands. "Armand, let's head out!"

"With pleasure, Caline," smiled Armand - he was eager to just get to see the Colosseum.

And then, the bus began to move slowly. And in the blink of an eye, they were leaving the College.

"Maybe Rome is need of... The Owl!" Mr. Damocles said dramatically.

"...Jacques, I swear," said Armand, "if you brought that owl costume-"

"You do not want him to finish that sentence," Caline warned.

Mr. Damocles gave a friendly chuckle to his colleagues - he knew this was just them joshing about. However, you could never really tell with Armand... he was a mysterious fella.

Meanwhile, the rest of the gang was too excited to notice the teacher and principal's argument - Kim was interrogating Max about AirPods.

As you can tell, important stuff was going on.

However, towards the middle of the bus, Adrien was staring out the window - well, he was alternating between that, and staring at the back of Marinette's head.

He had actually never noticed this before...

It was... it was a pretty significant thing too!

Her hair shone in a really pretty way. The blue really reflected off the sunshine... what an interesting fact! He knew more about his friends every day.

* * *

**Oh Adrien... oh... poor boy... he's so stupid I love him**

**Anyway, *clears throat* Next chapter will have TONS of Adrienette - seriously we may be in for an overload her guYS GET DOWN-**

**You can fight me on the fact that Max owns AirPods too **

**But for now, that's all there is here! However, the next chapter should be up very soon! ...Adrienette hotel room sharing, anyone? ;) Thanks for reading guys! Please leave a review and let me know what ye think! Love you all!**

**Previous: - Current: Chapter 1 - Next: Chapter 2**


	2. Chapter 2

**This chapter has an Adrienette OVERLOAD you guys. Don't say I didn't warn ya. ;)**

* * *

The bus ride was mostly long and boring - they had things to do, and people to talk to, but since they had to be there so early (they aimed to make it to Rome by 11 - therefore, most of the students had to be up around 7 on a Saturday), it was mostly just them trying to catch up on lost hours of sleep.

However, Caline excitedly stood up to wake everyone up when they were about fifteen minutes out of the city.

"Guys! Guys!" she said, basically jumping out of her seat. "We're almost there!"

"H-Huh?" Adrien asked, wiping his eyes and fixing his hair from where the window had messed it up.

It was there that Marinette then let out the literal _cutest _yawn he had ever heard, and he was suddenly wide awake. Wait... he wasn't crushing on Marinette... right? He was in love with Ladybug, duh! But... well, at the very least, yes, Marinette was cute and adorable. End of discussion (for now).

"MCDONALDS!" Kim suddenly screamed, pressing his face up against the window, as he saw the restaurant pass by.

"Ah!" Max yelled, suddenly facing the jock's hip in his face. "Get off me, dammit!"

Alix suddenly woke up. "Max? You swore?"

"Do not act so shocked," Max said, adjusting his glasses when Kim sat back down. "We all have our hidden specialties."

"...Anyway," Caline continued, "On the way to our hotel, we will be passing by the Colosseum! Feel free to take photographs, if you wish - just don't use the flash! Trust me, its not going to help."

And pass by the ancient battle arena they did - the camera shutters were clicking like lightning flashes.

"They're very interested children," Nathalie said to Caline.

"I'm so proud!" the teacher smiled.

Mr. Damocles, meanwhile, was proud of himself - like an owl, he had stayed awake the whole trip! Armand, however, was thoroughly exhausted; he really just wanted to get out of the driver's seat and into a comfy bed.

And the rest of the accompanying class really couldn't agree more with the gym teacher's inward thoughts.

* * *

They had all finally made it to their hotel - it was midnight. Because of this, they were going to give the students until 9:30 instead of 8:30, like formerly planned, so they could doze a bit more.

"Alright... official rooming chart," Caline said, pulling out her clipboard, after yawning. "Alix, you're with Jalil and Max."

"Kim, you're with Rose and Juleka."

"Nino, you're with Ivan."

"Alya, you're with Mylene."

"Nathanael, you're with Sabrina."

"Adrien, you're with Marinette."

"Chloe, you're with me."

"Armand, you're with Mr. Damocles."

"Ms. Sancouer, you and Mr... uh, Adrien's bodyguard, may choose same or separate rooms."

Marinette squeaked silently, and Adrien was inwardly joyous - this was about as good as it got! It was a golden opportunity for their friendship to grow!

Mme. Bustier knew what she was doing - and while she could swear that this was not the original schedule, she felt like the students would work it out amongst themselves anyway. She was too tired to deal with anything for the rest of the night. Armand was already asleep where he stood - Mr. Damocles nudged him awake. He almost knocked the principal's head off.

Anyway, after they all received their room keys, then when the elevator dinged, a select portion of the students piled in to go to their respective floor.

* * *

When Adrien and Marinette got to their rooms, Adrien, like the gentleman he was, held the door for Marinette, and let her have first dibs on which bed she wanted. She ended up choosing the one closer to the wall/bathroom, and he got the one next to the window. The room also had a desk, a fridge, a TV, a chair, a lamp, and a nightstand between their beds.

Adrien was beaming with joy from the moment he got to the room.

"Wow... you can almost see the Colosseum from here!" he said excitedly, looking out the window.

"R-Really?" Marinette said, still not really over the fact that she and Adrien were sharing a room.

"This... this is so cool," Adrien said, flopping back onto his bed. "And of all the people who I could have shared a room with... I'm glad its you, Marinette."

Marinette was only able to give a huge smile without stuttering herself to death.

After that, they got changed into their pajamas - Marinette's were her regular pj's, but Adrien's were special for this trip - Ladybug themed t-shirt, Chat Noir themed pajama pants.

"Do you think these look good on me?" asked Adrien.

Marinette was floored. "T-They look amazing! Y-you look amazing!" she said happily.

"Aww, thank you, Marinette," Adrien said, smiling brightly.

Suddenly, they received a knock at their door. Adrien answered it, and on the other side of the door was Nathalie, clothed in her pj's and with her hair in a tall bun.

"I'm just checking to make sure you are comfortable where you are," said Nathalie. "Do you need anything?"

"Not at all," Adrien smiled, "I've got it made where I am."

Nathalie smiled very gently. "That's good. I will be in room 514 if you need me; your bodyguard is right across from me."

"Thank you, Nathalie," Adrien said, suddenly hugging her again. "Goodnight, sleep well."

Nathalie, this time, did hug back with more give. "Goodnight, Adrien. You too. Sleep well too, Miss Dupain-Cheng."

"Of course, Mme. Sancouer! Goodnight to you too!" said Marinette, waving from her bed.

As Nathalie turned to head back to her room, she smiled to herself. "_What a nice young girl... a perfect roommate for Adrien,_" she thought.

Adrien then flopped onto the bed, and pulled over the blanket and snuggled up, facing Marinette on her bed.

"Goodnight Marinette," Adrien smiled. "I can't wait for tomorrow!"

"N-Neither can I!" Marinette giggled excitedly. "G'night Adrien!"

And with that, the lamps were turned out, and the lights were turned off.

And with that, their kwamis continued their silent conversation in the desk drawer which they had sneaked into when they first got to the hotel room.

* * *

_**4 AM**_

Juleka was sleeping soundly next to Rose - after Kim had claimed his own bed, Juleka and Rose had no problem sharing one. The two had fallen asleep back to back, but somewhere in their sleep, Rose had snuggled up closer to Juleka.

But now, she was slowly stirring awake due to a repeating thumping sound coming from the other side of the room.

"Jule... Jule!" Rose softly whispered.

"Hehhh... what's'it?" asked Juleka groggily. "Wha's that... noise?"

"I don't know," Rose whispered, "and I'm scared..."

"I's pro'll nothin'," Juleka muttered, still not fully awake and slurring in her words.

Suddenly...

They heard the thumping briefly pause.

And grab a breath.

And then, it returned to its activity.

"Oh my God... Kim?" Juleka said, sitting up in the bed.

"Oh! Oh, did I wake you two?" asked Kim, suddenly standing up and feeling very guilty. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry!"

"You actually only woke me," said Rose timidly. "I woke Juleka."

"Go back to sleep, Kim," said Juleka, rolling back into her blanket cocoon. "You can work out tomorrow... just, go to bed."

"Yes ma'am," Kim said, immediately jumping back into his bed.

"You're okay, Kim!" Rose said, still as bright as ever. "It wasn't your fault! I'm just a light sleeper."

"We can talk tomorrow," Juleka said, eager to get back to bed. She wasn't usually this dull, but she was tired as freak and she wanted to sleep.

Kim, meanwhile, decided that he could take a bit of a break from arm workouts...

Surely, tomorrow night, air squats wouldn't make any noise, right?

* * *

Marinette woke to the sunlight beaming through her and Adrien's shared hotel room - and the sound of water being cut off in the bathroom.

"Adrien?" she said, yawning and stretching as she sat up in the bed.

"I'm almost done here, Marinette!" he said from the bathroom. "I didn't want to wake you up, so I went ahead and got ready!"

"_Oh! He's such a gentleman!_" Marinette muttered to herself. "O-Oh! Thank y-you!"

"No problemo!" he said; his mouth was full of something, from the way it sounded. Toothpaste, probably.

After Adrien came out of the bathroom, clothed in his pajamas (and no, he was not going to wear them down to the cafeteria), he gave Marinette a smile as she went to go shower and get cleaned up for the day ahead. Adrien took the time to get changed into his traditional black t-shirt and jeans, and put on his favorite white jacket. After putting on his orange sneakers, he made sure Plagg was still in his bag.

"You excited about visiting Rome, Plagg?" asked Adrien.

"Eh, overrated," Plagg shrugged. "I was with Marc Antony once."

Adrien gave him a look.

"...We all know how that story ended," Plagg said, looking a bit down. "He wasn't that bad a charge either. A bit stupid, yes, I will say that."

"I need to refresh myself on him," muttered Adrien.

And with that, Adrien picked up his bag, ready to head downstairs. "Marinette! I'm going downstairs! I left the room card on the desk!"

"Thank you Adrien!" Marinette said.

And with that, Adrien headed out of the room to go downstairs. On the way, he ran into Kim, who looked very guilty.

"You okay, dude?" asked Adrien.

"I was doing push-ups last night, and I woke up Juleka and Rose on accident," he muttered. "I still feel kinda scared Juleka's gonna kill me in my sleep. That girl takes her sleep very seriously."

"...Dang," was all Adrien could say.

He already knew this trip was going to be one for the books...

* * *

Gabriel Agreste sat in his office, thinking long and hard about his decision to let his son go to Rome.

It was a city full of culture, not to mention a very rich and exquisite history - and there were plenty of opportunities for him to learn there. But he was still very keen on keeping a close eye on his son... especially since he had figured out he was Chat Noir.

And something inside him told him that he had made a foolish mistake by not only allowing Adrien to go on that trip - but Nathalie, and his bodyguard too!

Gabriel let out an audible sigh, and rubbed his left temple in a circle motion to try and calm his nerves down.

And then...

He had it.

The perfect idea.

There were certainly saddened people in Rome... right?

As he picked up his phone, he couldn't help but smirk to himself at his stroke of genius.

"Hello, Parisian Airlines? This is Gabriel Agreste... when is your next flight to Rome?"

* * *

**And so the plot thickens... :O :O :O**

**Please tell me what you all thought of this chapter! I'd love to hear feedback from you guys! I hope the Adrienette overload wasn't TOO bad XD Thank you all for reading! Love you all! **

**Previous: Chapter 1 - Current: Chapter 2 - Next: Chapter 3**


	3. Chapter 3

**For the record: I've adopted this class. They're all my children. (in other words be prepared for a class-themed chapter!)**

**Also... forgive me if I'm a bit of a Rome geek... hehe XD**

* * *

As Adrien walked down to the cafeteria with Kim, he ran into Nathanael and Sabrina, who were walking close and laughing with one another - it was a very poorly kept secret these days that, a. Sabrina was distancing herself from Chloe, and b. that she had a massive crush on the little art tomato boy. The only person who didn't seem to catch on was Nathanael himself.

"Hey guys!" Adrien said.

"Morning, Adrien," Nathanael smiled, brushing his hair out of his face. "Did you get a good sleep last night?"

"Yep!" Adrien smiled. "Kim, on the other hand..."

"I was doing push-ups at 4 AM, and I woke up Rose and Juleka," Kim muttered.

Nathanael and Sabrina didn't stop laughing until the elevator hit the bottom floor. Kim, meanwhile, was now able to smile about the event - he imagined Juleka was probably gonna kill him in his sleep, but at least he'd die with a very well kept secret... kept secret. They then moved toward the cafeteria, where quite a few of their classmates were either eating or getting their breakfast.

Adrien, of course, wanted to go for something hot - but something about the way those Froot Loops looked was enticing him. He ended up getting two bowls of them for the heck of it. Of course, when he took a seat next to Nino, the DJ eyed him.

"Dude, two bowls of Froot Loops? You're gonna be on a sugar rush!" he said, eating an egg.

"But they're colorful!" said Adrien defensively.

Nino just rolled his eyes at his best friend - truth be told, the two boys still were wrapping their head around the fact that they were in Rome. The city was enriched with history and amazing places; the only other places they could currently think of that had as much history as Rome was the Holy Land of Israel and Washington D.C., neither of which they had been to, but they wouldn't mind visiting them at all.

Suddenly, Nathalie appeared next to Adrien, somewhat scaring him. "Mr. Lahiffe," Nathalie said coolly.

"Mme. Sancouer," Nino nodded, remembering very well what their first encounter was like.

Nathalie's gaze softened as she sat next to Adrien. "Did you rest well last night?"

"Yep," Adrien nodded, smiling. "Mari's such a good roommate!"

"I'm glad," Nathalie said. "Your father wants to know how you're doing."

_Wow, that's new, _Adrien thought to himself. "Tell him I'm doing great! I'm having so much fun already."

Nathalie smiled. "Will do. I'll keep you posted on anything I feel you should know."

"Thank you, Nathalie," said Adrien, smiling.

Nathalie nodded, and went back to join Caline at their table. The two seemed to get along well enough, with Nathalie smiling and even making Mme. Bustier laugh some - now that was new... then again, it didn't take much to make the English teacher happy.

Eventually, Marinette walked downstairs, with Alya and Max following close behind. Max looked extremely pissed off, for some reason.

"Dude," Kim said, "what happened to you?"

"I fell asleep in the chair last night," muttered Max, "and now my back feels like it will never recover."

"Poor Max!" Rose said sadly.

"You gonna be able to walk around today?" asked Juleka.

"Oh yes, of course," Max said, "the pain just won't be nice to bear. However, if I wish to see the Colosseum, bear it I shall!"

"I got lucky to room with Mylene since I didn't get you," said Alya to Marinette, giggling. "I heard about Kim's little... incident."

"I do push-ups at 4 AM one time, people! ONE! TIME!" Kim exclaimed.

Mme. Bustier gave him a concerned look. "Kim... i-if you need someone to talk to-"

"I'll see you all in the lobby," Kim said, suddenly stepping out to head for the gym.

"He'll be fine," Max said, shaking it off. "This usually happens every Tuesday. We just got unlucky because it happened on today, a Sunday."

"How much time do you spend with him?" Ivan asked from his table.

"Far too much for my own health," Max muttered.

As the classmates began to discuss Kim's health after last night, Marinette sneaked off and sat down next to Adrien since Alya had called the seat next to Nino (cheeky little fox...).

"Morning, Mari!" Adrien said brightly. "Ready to explore Rome?"

"R-Ready as I'll ever be!" Marinette said happily - it hadn't yet clicked that he had called her 'Mari' just yet; it would soon, don't worry.

It had, however, clicked with everyone who heard them talking. Nathalie hid her smile behind her coffee cup, but Mme. Bustier let out a little giggle. The Gorilla, who had just walked in, was able to catch that little portion of the conversation - and he was smiling. The Gorilla rarely smiled, so this was a big deal!

He took an open seat next to Rose, who was swiping through cat and dog pics on Instagram. The Gorilla caught a glimpse of the cute animals, and smiled again - what a day it already was!

Anyway, about another thirty minutes passed; all the students, by now, had shown up in the cafeteria. Mme. Bustier then stood up to give an announcement.

"Okay class!" Mme. Bustier said. "We will be heading out in ten minutes! Why don't you all head down to the lobby to get your stuff together?"

Everyone agreed, and began to throw away their trash and head back to the lobby. Mylene went to go grab Kim from the gym, and the rest of the class headed over to the front lobby.

"Where are we going first, Mme. Bustier?" asked Rose sweetly.

"Great question, Rose! We're starting off strong - the Sistine Chapel!" the teacher smiled.

Everyone was very excited - the Sistine Chapel was such an important historical structure; not to mention how beautiful it was! Examples included paintings such as The Creation of Adam and The Last Judgment, and the statue of David - all by Michelangelo - that were so impressive; and the ceiling, oh what a trip this already was!

Marinette stood close by Adrien, trying to feel assured around his presence. She couldn't lie; this was a very nerve-racking time for her. She was still getting the post-arrival jitters.

However, for some reason, instead of just making her more and more jittery, it actually helped to calm her down a small bit.

"Mari... you okay?" asked Adrien.

"J-Just nervous," Marinette admitted.

"Its gonna be okay!" Adrien said, smiling his traditional bright golden smile - even putting his hand on her shoulder! "We're gonna have a lot of fun here!"

Marinette giggled nervously. "Hehe, y-yep!"

"Alright class, is everyone ready?" asked Mme. Bustier.

She did a head count as the students raised their hands in approval - all the chaperones were standing next to her. "Great! Let's head out!" she smiled.

And with that, the gang headed back onto the bus - but Alya, being the sneaky little girl she was, stole Adrien's seat next to Nino. Adrien chuckled, waving it off as he flipped the dice and stole her seat next to Marinette.

"Now remember, it will be a while before we reach the Chapel," said Mme. Bustier. "So feel free to pull out your phones, talk, do whatever! Just... don't do anything stupid. Got it?"

"Yes ma'am!" they all nodded.

"Oh, you all are such good children," she said to herself, sitting back down.

Suddenly, Kim yelled something shocking right as they were about to pull out.

"WE FORGOT MAX!"

"How could we have forgotten him?!" exclaimed Sabrina.

"Hey, give me a break, he's like two inches tall," said Kim.

* * *

Max was stepping out of the hotel bathroom to head to the lobby, when he suddenly realized - everyone was in the bus, and it was about to pull out.

Right before he began to frantically sprint towards the bus, he sighed and adjusted his glasses.

"How did I know this would happen?" he muttered.

He then bolted for the bus.

* * *

Gabriel Agreste adjusted his usual candy-cane patterned ascot over the Moth Miraculous it always concealed. He had a determined look in his eyes; he was ready to cause some havoc in Rome.

At the rate of his current departure, he would make it to the city of Caesar by lunchtime - and yes, Adrien would be there to try and defeat him as Chat Noir - but he was missing one crucial component for defeating Hawk Moth.

Ladybug.

However, it was actually Gabriel who was being mislead; Marinette, the shy, young, and innocent fashion designer whom he had deemed harmless long ago, was actually the heroine his son worked with to bring about his downfall on a near weekly basis. He had never once considered this to be a possibility.

And he wouldn't anytime soon.

For now, he just grabbed his suitcase, which only contained the essential items he would need for the suite he had already booked (Hawk Moth must always have an extravagant lair.), and headed out to his car. Right before pulling out, he spoke to two guards he had at the gates of the mansion for while he was gone.

"You all know your shifts," he said. "Please do not fail me."

"No sir, Mr. Agreste," one nodded.

"We'll do our very best!" the other said.

Gabriel nodded, and pulled out to head off for the airport.

He was ready for some fresh negative emotions... he could already taste the glory of no Ladybug to worry about!

How wrong he was...

* * *

**So, what do _you _think will happen next chapter as the class visits the Sistine Chapel? I will say this: we will be introduced to the very first akuma of this story! And yes - it is a Roman-themed akuma XD**

**But for now, please let me know what you thought of the chapter! I hope ye enjoyed! If you did, please let me know! I love you all! See you next time, on "When In Rome"! :D**

**Previous: Chapter 2 - Current: Chapter 3 - Next: Chapter 4**


	4. Chapter 4

***kicks down the door* I FINALLY GET TO DO AN AKUMA MOM ARE YOU PROUD OF ME **

**Akumas are so much fun to come up with! Idk why - they just are! I've come up with only a few in the past (Hammerhead and Medusa are all I can remember for now), so I had a lot of fun coming up with this one! :D**

**...yes it is Roman themed. No skipping. Read chappie. Chocolate milk. I'm out.**

* * *

Gabriel Agreste had just stepped foot onto Roman ground.

And he felt... good. Surprisingly, he didn't feel unfamiliar with the grounds at all - maybe it was because emperor Claudius was once the wielder of the Moth Miraculous, or because Rome wasn't that far from Paris, at least compared to some places.

Either way, he was ready to cause chaos.

And because only his son could get in the way of his plot, he was certain that he could make this akuma wreak major havoc - and also, Rome had never experienced an akuma attack.

He had a rented limousine and driver waiting for him outside the airport to take him to his temporary suite; when he arrived there, he checked his watch - 10:30.

"Only about another hour and a half before prime akuma hours," he smirked to himself. "I'd imagine Rome is no different."

Nooroo then suddenly flew out of his bag's pocket. "Master, are you sure akumas will work the same in Rome? I've been with masters who have transitioned from place to place before, and akumas never seem to work the same in different places..."

"Then tell me, how did they work when you were with Emperor Claudius?" asked Gabriel, giving his kwami a pointed stare.

"...T-They were more violent," Nooroo admitted. "Sometimes he couldn't even control them - he would use them to try and expand his empire."

Gabriel, however, being full of pride for himself at the recent booming success of his business, smirked - surely he wouldn't have a problem controlling the Roman akumas he would make.

"It will be no trouble for me, Nooroo," said Gabriel. "Now, return to your spot until you are needed."

"Yes master," Nooroo said sadly.

* * *

Meanwhile, while Gabriel was settling down in his suite, the class and the accompanying adults had just pulled up to the Sistine Chapel.

"Its... its so beautiful," Nathanael said quietly.

"That thing is HUGE!" Nino said.

"Look at that line..." muttered Alix. "We'll never get in there!"

"Well why else do you think we're staying in Rome for another ten days?" Mme. Bustier said.

She then had to quickly assure her class that they wouldn't be waiting in line for the next ten days of their trip, since there were some panicked faces on the bus from her joke. After the fallout had settled, all of them stepped off, and they did a head count to make sure everyone was here.

"Its almost as nice as my daddy's hotel!" Chloe said.

Jalil was thoroughly pissed off by this comment. "H-How can a _hotel_ be more important than such a core piece of history?!" he exclaimed.

"You get used to comments like these eventually," Armand sighed.

"...Anyway, let's just get in line," Mme. Bustier said. "We don't want to be in line all day, right?"

That got the kids moving fast enough.

"I swear, the things that will get them moving," Caline muttered, smiling.

"They are very interesting children," Nathalie agreed.

"I've been meaning to tell you this, Mme. Sancouer," said Caline, "Adrien... is an absolutely wonderful student. But as of late... I can't help but notice how much more his happiness has shown. He's almost like a sun ray! I just... I wanted to thank you for showing him some dearly-needed affection. I can tell that it works."

Nathalie blushed at these compliments... never had she been praised for something domestic like showing Adrien affection. However, she couldn't help but feel an odd sense of pride for it...

"Y-Yes, uh... Thank you, Mme. Bustier," said Nathalie. "Now, uh... shall we join the children?"

"Suppose so," Caline smiled.

And with that, the wait to get into the Sistine Chapel began.

* * *

The wait didn't actually take too long - only about twenty minutes, seeing as how long the line was. The class got in and were assigned to a tour guide - a young woman named Taylor - and she took them on a lavish tour of the building.

The first place they saw was the Southern Wall, containing _Stories of Moses, _a series of frescoes on the life of Moses. Of course, several pictures were taken by everyone, not wanting to forget this miraculous location. Then, they moved onto the Northern and Eastern Walls, both having equally amazing artworks, and their tour guide was amazing, explaining everything that she knew in great detail.

And then... they arrived to the Sistine Chapel ceiling.

Everyone's breath was immediately taken away at this magnificent location - Nathanael was also growing more and more inspired by Michelangelo's artworks. He was so amazed at all the wonderful art this place had to offer.

"Okay, can anyone tell me what this ginormous painting is right here?" Taylor asked, pointing to the beautiful large-scale painting that took up a full wall.

"_The Last Judgement!_" Marinette answered excitedly.

"Correct!" Taylor smiled. "This has to be one of my favorite paintings here - I'll stay back to answer any questions you all have if you want to take some pictures!"

"Uhh... Nathalie," Adrien asked sheepishly, "could you, I, and the Gorilla take one here?"

"Of course, Adrien," Nathalie said. "G?"

The Gorilla nodded, and gestured politely for Max to come and take their picture. Adrien was so enthralled by the fact that Nathalie literally just called the Gorilla "G" that he almost forgot to smile. However, he didn't; and when the picture was taken, they were all smiling.

"Perfect!" Max said.

"_Getting that made and framed for sure,_" Nathalie thought once she saw the photo.

"Oh, Marinette! Come over here!" Adrien said. "Nathalie, would you mind taking one of us?"

"Not at all," Nathalie nodded.

"Y-Yes Adrien?" asked Marinette.

"You wanna get a photo in front of this baby?" Adrien said, gesturing to _The Last Judgement._

"O-Oh, s-sure!" she said.

And oh gosh he had just wrapped his arm around her - even though she reciprocated the action, she was blushing. Not madly, but enough so it was noticeable. When Nathalie took the picture, they both looked amazing.

"T-Thank you Adrien," Marinette said, smiling nervously. "F-For letting me be in the picture!"

"Of course, Marinette!" Adrien said happily.

"Hey guys!" Alya said, calling them over and holding a selfie stick.

Adrien and Marinette got into the group selfie with Alya, and everyone also joined in - even the adults! Alya and Marinette slung their arms around each other, and Alix tried to give her brother bunny ears, but proved to be too small for this feat. Everyone could see the clear blush on Sabrina's face as she stood next to Nathanael, and Armand was even smiling! Nino had his arm around Adrien, Chloe was (fortunately) kept away from Adrien by Rose and Juleka blocking her way, and Max was nearly concealed by Kim's enormous figure. Ivan and Mylene, as expected, were close together, and Mme. Bustier and Nathalie were next to each other, and the two women appeared to be smiling together. Mr. Damocles, Armand, and The Gorilla were also smiling, happy to be with such an amazing group of people.

"That's going in the yearbook!" Caline smiled, looking at the picture. "We'll get another one when we leave and get outside, okay?"

"Okay!" all the students said.

And with that, after they asked a few more questions to their tour guide Taylor, the class was lead out by her.

"I hope you all have enjoyed your visit to the Sistine Chapel!" she said, smiling widely. "You all have been amazing guests! Please consider visiting again!"

"We will! Thank you so much!" Mme. Bustier said happily.

And with that, the students walked out to the front of the Sistine Chapel for their group photo.

* * *

Julian Augustus was very proud of his skill.

He had a very unique talent of crafting props that looked extremely realistic and could nearly replicate an object entirely - his specialty was swords, believe it or not. One of his uniquely crafted blades could almost _be _a real weapon if mishandled! His skill was highly appraised, and his props were often used in dramas and movies.

However... one day, a movie director came in, and threw one of his swords down in his shop.

"Hey! What's that for?" asked Julian.

"For ripping me off! These are garbage!" the director said.

"Excuse you, sir! I'll have you know that I put my heart and soul into my craft!" Julian exclaimed, deeply offended.

"Well evidently that's not enough!" the director spat. "You've got no business being credited in my movie. I will _not _use garbage like this for my grand pictures. Good day, Mr. Augustus!"

And with that, the director slammed the door to Julian's shop, leaving Julian's sword on the ground.

"I never liked him anyway," Julian muttered through gritted teeth.

However, the tears welling in his eyes proved otherwise... he didn't mind critiques and pointers for his craft, but when someone outright slammed it in front of him and declared it garbage... now that could get to him.

But what he didn't notice, as he picked up the sword to take it back into his workshop, was a small, purple butterfly that phased through the wall.

When he did notice it, however, if flew directly into his sword, which now glowed purple. A pink moth-shaped visor like apparel flashed over his eyes, and a voice entered his head.

_**"Augustus Caesar, I am Hawk Moth. You may not know me, since I do not typically operate in Rome, but you should know that you have been selected for a special occasion. I'll give you the power to summon armies and chariots with your sword, and prove to that heartless director that your craft is absolutely not garbage. In return, all I ask you is that you collect the Miraculous of Chat Noir before you do - ready to divide and conquer, Caesar?"**_

"Yes I am, Hawk Moth," smiled Julian evilly.

Julian clutched his sword in his hand as oily purple mist encased him - and it spat out a completely different man. Augustus was clothed in a white toga over golden armor that protected him, and a red cape was adorned onto his back. He had a large sheath for his sword across his waist, and knee high sandals on his feet. He also had a crown of leaves atop his head - he truly was like the real Augustus Caesar.

_**"Caesar, head over to the Sistine Chapel - that is where you will find Chat Noir. And don't go in alone..."**_

Augustus walked out into the middle of the street, waved his sword around, and magically, twelve Roman centurions on horses appeared out of thin air, along with an extravagant chariot reserved for himself.

"We head to the Sistine Chapel!" proclaimed Augustus.

"Aye! Hail Caesar!" the centurions said.

"CHARGE!" Augustus yelled. And with that, the chariot led the entourage to the Sistine Chapel.

* * *

"Okay all, time for the group photo!" Caline said, handing Nathalie her phone so she could take it.

"I still can't believe we're actually here, dude," Nino said to Adrien. "Just think of all the stuff that's happened here!"

"We'll definitely need more picture space," Adrien joked.

"Okay class, everyone smile!" Mme. Bustier said. "3... 2... 1!"

And with that, Nathalie took the picture.

However, as she did so... faint rumbling could be heard in the distance.

"Were... were we supposed to get an earthquake or something?" asked Alya.

"Negative Alya," Max said, pulling out his phone. "This place is largely not known for having earthquakes-"

"OH MY GOD!" Juleka yelled, pointing in the distance. "ITS A CHARIOT!"

* * *

**I know that the buildup for this story is kinda slow... and we're only one day into the Rome trip and there's already an akuma attack XD**

**But anyway, next chapter, Ladybug and Chat Noir will show up! How coincidental that they'd be in Rome _at the same time_! XD But yeah next chapter is a heavy-LadyNoir chapter (don't worry there's still Adrienette!). I love this love square so much you guys. It gives me life.**

**Anyway, what do you guys think of Augustus Caesar? How do you think Rome akumas will differ to Paris akumas, if at all? Please let me know, I love hearing from you all! Oh the puns Chat will make...**

**In the meantime, however, I'm signing off! Love all you guys! :D**

**Previous: Chapter 3 - Current: Chapter 4 - Next: Chapter 5**


	5. Chapter 5

**I think this chapter might actually be my favorite one so far... ;) ;) ;)**

* * *

And Kim wasn't wrong - it _was _a chariot that was rushing down the street to the Sistine Chapel. And behind Augustus was a charge of centurions, all on their own horses, in addition to Augustus' chariot.

"HIDE!" Mme. Bustier said; her first instinct was always to protect her children and any accompanying parties, and today was no exception. She'd be damned if she wouldn't protect these precious children, or these adults she had grown close to since their trip began.

The students all ducked behind a wall in front of the chapel; Alya, being Alya, started live-blogging the thing.

"Babe, what are you doing?!" Nino whispered loudly.

"Its an akuma in Rome! This proves they happen outside of Paris!" she said excitedly.

"Hey... where are Marinette and Adrien?" asked Nathalie to the teacher.

Mme. Bustier looked around as fast as she could, but the bluenette and golden-haired model were nowhere to be seen.

"Th-They're probably hiding somewhere else," said the teacher, unable to hide the shake in her voice.

"Hey look!" Ivan said, pointing up. "Ladybug and Chat Noir!"

"Oh, thank God!" Alix said. "We're not going to die after all!"

Nathalie felt her heart catch a bit of relief... but it oddly still worried for the blue-haired designer her Adrien had befriended.

As Ladybug and Chat Noir landed next to each other on the street, stopping Augustus Caesar and his legion in their tracks, however, they couldn't hide the shock on their faces at seeing their partner in the same city (that wasn't Paris) as them... at the same time.

"Kitty?!" Ladybug exclaimed. "What are you doing in Rome?!"

"I could ask you the same thing, Milady!" said Chat, equally as confused. "However, I assume its private for you, so I won't pressure you to answer."

"Aww... good Kitty!" said Ladybug, smiling as she ruffled his hair.

Meanwhile, as Augustus was stepping out of his chariot to confront the two heroes, Hawk Moth sent a message into his head.

**_"Ladybug... she's here too?! Oh, this is my lucky day... get her Miraculous too, Caesar! Just don't go crazy on me, okay?"_**

Caesar gave a subtle nod that Hawk Moth didn't sense. He then stepped forward, and was a few yards away from Ladybug and Chat Noir.

"What are you all doing in Rome?" Augustus asked.

"Same thing we could ask you, Mr. akuma," said Chat.

"My name is Augustus Caesar!" Augustus proclaimed.

"Well then, Caesar," Chat said, "tell me - did you come back to get a salad renamed after you?"

"No, on the contrary, I'm here for your Miraculouses," said the akuma. "And I'll get them - by any measures possible."

"Really? Sure you don't just want a salad?" asked Chat.

Ladybug rolled her eyes - she had a feeling a lot of salad puns were coming today... However, she was really getting used to all the punning from Chat, and even finding some of them funny! And... and maybe... he _was _kinda cute...

"You all shall never defeat a Caesar," said Augustus dangerously, readying his sword to strike.

"Hold him in place, Kitty," said Ladybug, "I've got an idea. On my signal, okay?"

"You got it, m'lady," he smiled. "Hey Caesar! Shall we have an old-fashioned duel?"

"I am always prepared for a duel," said Augustus. "Let us fight!"

And with that, Chat and Augustus found themselves locked in sword-vs-staff combat. Chat trusted Ladybug; he knew she would come through with whatever she had planned. All he had to do was hold off Augustus...

But there was something different about this akuma...

Augustus seemed more violent. More rage-induced. It was almost like he was operating on the one goal he had been given instead of other orders from Hawk Moth.

_**"What are you doing, Caesar?! Don't kill him! Just bring me my Miraculouses!"**_

"You said to get them by any means necessary!" Augustus yelled, kicking Chat backwards. "If killing is the way to pry it from them, than SO BE IT!"

_**"They're just kids! I ORDER YOU TO STAND DOWN!"**_

But Augustus didn't back down. In fact, he fought harder and faster than ever before.

Suddenly, as Chat felt like hope was running out, he heard his lady call his name. "Kitty!" she yelled from the area where Augustus' chariot was parked. "Over here!" And she was riding on top of one of Augustus' horses... he liked where this seemed to be heading.

"Hop on!" she said, motioning for him to jump on the back of the other horse. Chat did as instructed, and the two rode away without Augustus' chariot.

Augustus, however, was unphased. He waved his sword around once more, and out of thin air popped a black stallion. He hopped on, and began to chase after the two heroes.

"...Well, that was interesting," Nathanael said, peeking over the wall.

"You think they're gonna be able to make it?" Sabrina asked.

"They're Ladybug and Chat Noir! Of course they will!" said Mylene. "...Right?"

"Did you all see how he tried to stab Chat Noir?" Kim finally said.

"That was a prop sword. You can tell by its material and the way it worked," Max said. "Chances are it is the object in which the akuma resides."

Everyone looked at Max oddly.

"What?"

Meanwhile, the two heroes were riding around Rome on the horses they had stolen from Augustus, laughing out loud at the thrill of this chase.

"Hey, m'lady! Watch this!" Chat said, suddenly motioning on the reigns for his horse to turn around - he was now making eye contact with the ticked off Roman akuma speeding straight towards him.

"Kitty?!" Ladybug exclaimed, not knowing what Chat had in mind.

But Chat smirked as he charged towards Augustus; he then held out his baton like how Augustus held out his sword.

"Someone's getting their salad tossed!" yelled Chat.

And with that, Chat and Augustus collided; with Chat knocking the akuma off of his stallion, thanks to his bo staff's reach.

"I didn't even have to use my Lucky Charm!" Ladybug giggled. "And you didn't have to use Cataclysm!"

"Guess Roman akumas operate differently?" shrugged Chat, smiling.

Ladybug smiled too, and pried the prop sword from Augustus' hands as he was pinned down by Chat's boot.

"Its a prop sword," said Ladybug, observing it.

"Guess I have to give him _props_ for it," Chat said.

Ladybug couldn't resist giggling. "Good one Kitty!"

As she broke the sword (which took breaking it over her leg; the damn thing was pretty well made!), she smiled as she grabbed the akuma with her yo-yo and let him go free, and not have to do evil anymore.

"Uhh... what do I do for the Miraculous Ladybug?" asked Ladybug, confused.

"Hmm... throw up the yo-yo?" Chat shrugged. "This has never happened before; I'm equally confused."

Ladybug did just that, and it actually worked! The centurions disappeared, the horses vanished, and Augustus Caesar disappeared in a bubble of purple, oily ooze, and spat back out Julian Augustus. "Uhh... where am I?" asked Julian.

"Pound it!" said the two heroes simultaneously.

"Wh-What happened?!"

"You were akumatized," Chat said, helping him up. "Don't worry, though; from what we can tell, you didn't cause any real damage that we couldn't fix."

"Good..." Julian sighed with relief. "Uh, sorry... about all that."

"Don't worry, sir, you're totally innocent," Ladybug smiled.

As Julian walked off, Ladybug and Chat said their goodbyes and parted. They both de-transformed in separate areas, and hurried as fast as they could to make it back to their class.

"Marinette! Adrien!" Caline exclaimed, running over to the two (who had come from the same direction, despite de-transforming in separate areas) and hugging them both. "Where were you two?!"

"We got separated," Adrien hastily said.

"We're so so sorry!" Marinette said, rubbing her arm.

"Its okay, I understand," the teacher said. "Just... just don't scare me like that again, okay?"

"We won't," they both said.

"Good, good..." she said, sighing happily. "Well... I guess, since no one got hurt, we can continue with our day."

"Are we gonna get lunch?" asked Mylene.

"It is lunchtime," Max observed, checking his watch.

"Y-Yes, I'd say we all need to calm our nerves after that," said Caline, nodding. "Back on the bus, everyone!"

After all the students and adults piled back into the bus, Mme. Bustier did two more headcounts to make sure they had everyone (her paranoia had been struck by the akuma attack; that was one of the reasons they had taken this field trip - to get away from the akumas for a bit!), and after she sat back down, she took a breather.

"Are you okay, Mme. Bustier?" asked Nathalie.

"Yes... j-just concerned for the safety of my students," she said gently. "I thought I had lost two of the best kids I've ever known."

Nathalie could tell this woman cared for just about anyone, but she cared for her students like they were her own children. If Caline _did _ever have children, she'd make a fantastic mother for sure.

* * *

_**6:00 PM**_

The rest of the day went by fairly normal - the class went to eat lunch, and then went off to do some sight-seeing to let the Sistine Chapel remain the highlight of their day. Everyone got more pictures with each other; the most common gangs were Marinette, Adrien, Alya, and Nino, (either all four together or the two pairings) or Juleka and Rose. Mylene and Ivan mostly took selfies, and Kim was taking a few every now and then. Chloe exclusively took selfies with Adrien and Sabrina. Max, Nathanael, and Alix mostly took pictures. Everyone had at least three selfies with Mme. Bustier, however. Mr. Damocles and Armand took pictures every now and then, and shockingly, Nathalie and The Gorilla took a fair amount.

And now, after a long day of travelling, the class had made their way back to their hotel to spend the rest of the day with each other and talk about the adventure they had been on. Since Marinette had gone to Alya's room for a bit, and Nino was apparently visiting Nathanael for a bit, Adrien was informed that there was a mini-Kitty Section meetup happening in the Juleka-Rose room.

When he arrived, he wasn't wrong - Ivan was there, as were Juleka and Rose, and Luka was on a FaceTime call.

"Adrien! What's up dude?" Luka said.

"Hey Luka!" Adrien said, sitting on the floor next to Juleka. "How's it back in Paris?"

"Boring as heck without my gang," he chuckled. "How is everyone?"

"We're doing good," Juleka smiled. "Although Kim did wake me up last night..."

"I'm gonna kill him," said Luka immediately.

"He was doing push-ups!" Rose giggled. "And I woke Juleka up because I was scared."

"I still can't believe this actually happened," Ivan chuckled.

"...Wow," Luka said. "That's all I have to say... wow. I gotta run, but I'll see you guys the weekend after you get back!"

"Bye Luka!" they all said.

"Love you, stupid," said Juleka.

"Love you too, stupid," Luka said.

As Juleka hung up, she was given odd looks by her classmates. "What? Stupid is as stupid does."

"Forrest Gump," Ivan nodded.

"Never watched it," Adrien said.

Everyone in the room gasped. "We need to educate the poor boy!" Rose exclaimed.

"I got you!" Ivan said, pulling out his phone. "I have the movie downloaded. We can all watch it together!"

And that was the rest of the Kitty Section meetup after the call with Luka - a Forrest Gump movie session. A pretty good way to end the meetup.

* * *

**_8:30 PM_**

Adrien was laying down on the bed in his room, just aimlessly browsing through the pictures he had taken on his phone that day. Among his favorites were the ones he had gotten in the Sistine chapel (four in total: With Nathalie and The Gorilla, with Marinette, with the former, Alya, and Nino, and with Mme. Bustier), the selfie he had taken when the sun was setting, a photo he had taken with the Kitty Section gang, and a couple more selfies he and Marinette had taken.

All in all, he had had a really nice day to start off the Rome trip - not to mention seeing his lady! What a coincidence that his blue-haired bugaboo was in Rome at the same time that he was!

As he thought of blue hair, however, Marinette walked back into their room in her pajamas. "Hey Adrien!" she smiled.

"Hey Marinette!" he said, smiling back. "Have you enjoyed today?"

"Its been amazing," she beamed. "Well, apart from the akuma attack, of course. But hey, Ladybug and Chat Noir are in Rome!"

"Crazy, right?" Adrien laughed.

Marinette giggled too, and sat down on her bed to look at her phone.

"Hey Marinette... wanna take another picture?" asked Adrien.

"O-Oh... sure!" she said. She sat next to him, and smiled as the camera flashed. "Any reason why? I-I mean, uh, I'll a-always take pictures with you! I-I just wanna know, any reason why here now?"

"Pajama selfie!" he smiled.

"Okie!" Marinette squeaked. "Hey, uh... c-could you send me that one?"

"Sure! I'll send you more once we get back from the trip," Adrien said.

"Thank you, Adrien," she said happily. Marinette then let out another unbelievably cute yawn. "Hey... I think I'm gonna turn in early tonight. I've had a long day."

"That's not a bad idea, I think I'll do the same," said Adrien.

The two crawled underneath the covers, and sat in comfortable silence on their phones for a little bit, before putting them off to the side.

"G'night Adrien," Marinette said, smiling over at him. "I'll see you tomorrow..."

"Goodnight Mari," Adrien said lowly, managing a smile with his low supply of energy. "Have a good sleep..."

And with that, Ladybug and Chat Noir unknowingly had just fallen asleep next to each other without realizing it.

* * *

**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I know I had SO MUCH FUN writing it! :D Please let me know what you thought of it! :) **

**Anyway, I think this next chapter will probably have more class-centered antics. Like another Juleka/Rose/Kim scene, or the gang going to eat lunch - it'll be a calmer chapter for sure. Is there anything you'd like to see next chapter? Please, if you have anything, let me know! I might work it in! :) **

**In the meantime, however, that's all for now! Thanks for reading guys! Love you all! :D**

**Previous: Chapter 4 - Current: Chapter 5 - Next: Chapter 6**


	6. Chapter 6

**Fluffy class bonding is the focus for this chapter! (...why are y'all looking at me like that... I swear that's what this is...)**

**;) (oh God wHO LET HIM IN-)**

* * *

**_5:20 AM_**

Adrien awoke with an exuberant yawn, stretching out his arms freely. He then realized something as he opened his eyes - it was still pitch black outside!

"Ugh... what time is it?" he muttered to himself. He checked his phone, and had it not been for the fact that he was so tired, he would have probably yelled. "_5:20?_ That's way too early..."

He then looked over to his left, and saw the sleeping beauty that was none other than Marinette. She somehow looked amazing, even with the obvious bedhead she sported, she still looked absolutely radiant in her sleep. He felt like he was literally looking at an angel... and not just now. But whenever he saw her these days... something about her just made him smile.

He then checked his phone - he had looked, stared, and thought about Marinette for the past five minutes.

"...Well, I guess I can watch the sun rise," he muttered to himself.

He drew the curtains, and plopped back onto his bed to see the moon fading off into the distance - slowly but surely, the sky was turning a very dark shade of blue. It was actually somewhat similar to the shade of Marinette's hair...

...Wait.

Oh gosh, was he _crushing on Marinette?! _

Adrien suddenly felt his cheeks getting very, very warm and rosy... and he didn't exactly think this way of every girl he ran into...

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a bed creak coming from the other side of the room - and by Marinette, who was waking up just now.

"Ugh... Adrien? You up too?" she asked softly.

"Yeah," he muttered, rubbing his eyes. "I guess going to bed earlier played into us getting up earlier."

Marinette giggled. "Glad we didn't get up at 3 AM instead of 5."

Adrien chuckled back. "Well, we could have sneaked out of the hotel room and slipped everyone 'anonymous' notes."

"With what?" Marinette giggled again. "Secrets only a fellow classmate would know?"

"Or telling Max there's a school cult that worships Markov?" Adrien laughed.

The two were eventually passing jokes back and forth, laughing like the besties they were.

"Okay, let's check our class's Instagrams," suggested Marinette. "There's bound to be some good posts since yesterday."

Adrien sat down on Marinette's bed next to her (causing her to lightly blush since they were so close, _on a bed too!_), and they began to scroll through her notifications. A few highlights included Alya's picture of the four in front of _The Last Judgment_, Nathanael's redhead squad photo (with himself, Sabrina, Mme. Bustier, and Alix), Kim's "epic" selfie with his lunch, and a photo that Mme. Bustier had posted of her class all together (thanks to Max's selfie stick).

And also, they showed their own posts to each other. Adrien noticed that a _lot _of his photos were either with Marinette, Nino, or Alya... was there a pattern going on here?

But his favorite was definitely the one he had taken with her when they were both in their pj's. And the caption was the highlight: _Rome couldn't be better. Best roomie ever (mdupaincheng). _Their whole class had commented and told them how cute they were together (well, Chloe's comment was towards Adrien exclusively), which made them both blush.

"H-Hey, look! The sun's coming up!" Adrien said, trying to avoid talking about what the class was obviously aiming at with their comments.

"Wow... that's so pretty," Marinette said happily. She had a soft spot for sunsets, and so did Adrien; he got it from his mother.

"Yeah, it really is," Adrien agreed. He then checked the time on his phone, and saw it was nearing six. "Hey, do you wanna shower first, or do you want me to go on? Figured we could get a head start on everyone."

"I-I'll go ahead!" Marinette said. "Thank you for, uhh... I don't know where I'm going with this."

Adrien couldn't help but laugh. "Don't worry, all good Mari!"

After the two had both showered separately, they both got dressed - it was just barely past 6:30, meaning they'd probably have at least another hour before anyone they knew would show up at the cafeteria.

"What do you wanna do to pass the time?" asked Adrien.

"How about... we play a few rounds of Uno?" suggested Marinette.

"You're on," Adrien said, sending a mischievous glare her way.

About thirty minutes later or so, Adrien was currently suffering a second defeat in a row. The first game had gone VERY fast and VERY much so in Adrien's favor, but after that, things got increasingly bad for him.

"Boom! Defeated AGAIN!" Marinette proclaimed, throwing down her yellow 3 that finished the game.

"How are you so good at this?" Adrien said sadly, throwing down his cards and pouting.

"All luck based, Adrien," Marinette winked.

Adrien felt a sudden rush of heat rushing to his cheeks as he received Marinette's wink, but he was able to hide it quite well. "Well that explains things."

Marinette giggled, and looked at her phone, which had just received a notification from Mylene - _Me and Alya are up! Wbu and Adrien?_

_M.D-C. - We've been up for a while! Absolutely mopping the floor with him in Uno. ;)_

_M.H. - Ooh! Go get him girl! Alya's rooting for you, as am I!_

Marinette definitely didn't tell Adrien that part as the two headed down for breakfast.

* * *

**_12:00 PM_**

Lunchtime had rolled around in Rome, and currently, the class was in a food court at a local mall in the city - they were going to St. Peter's Basilica today after lunch, so this was an exciting day for the group. Kim was ordering his food from a McDonald's, and his order wasn't what you'd expect.

"Can I get a 4-piece chicken nuggets Happy Meal?"

Rose and Juleka, who were behind him in line, had to try _very _hard not to laugh at what Kim had just ordered. Max, who already had his sandwich from a Subway, was just not surprised anymore.

The employee, shockingly, didn't give him a weird look as she asked if the Happy Meal would be for a boy or a girl - Kim said boy, obviously.

"_Dude ordered a damn Happy Meal,_" Juleka's brain kept repeating these words.

"Thank you!" Kim said once he got his order, and walked over to the table that the four that were at McDonald's would be eating at. Somehow or another, they had ended up next to Adrien, Marinette, Nathanael, and Sabrina - every one of them had sandwiches too.

"K-Kim! You ordered a _Happy Meal?!_" Nathanael couldn't stop himself from laughing.

"Yep! And I vlogged it too," said Kim, adjusting his phone so he could keep the vlog going.. "Ondine wanted me to do a video in Rome, so I granted her wish."

"Dude ordered a damn Happy Meal," Juleka muttered once she walked over to their table, with her and Rose's food in her hands, the pink loving girl following close behind with Max in tow. "Dude. Ordered. A damn Happy Meal."

"Hey, could you stop judging for a sec? Please?" Kim asked. "Need to set up my camera here."

As he set it up, and it finally cooperated, he smiled. "Finally! Ah, here we go boys-"

The thing fell over.

"Effing-I just wanna eat my damn Happy Meal," Kim said angrily, pointing all his anger at his phone.

By now, Sabrina and Marinette had both come close to spitting out their drinks. Adrien was burying his face into his hands because of the hilarity of the situation, and if Nathanael wasn't covering his mouth, he would probably be cackling. Rose and Juleka were both giggling. Max was just... not.

"Finally! Now I can eat my damn Happy Meal," Kim said triumphantly. "How hard could it be to put up a phone?"

"Hard when you're using my bag as a prop," said Juleka, completely monotone.

Kim shrugged off the comment, and dug into his Happy Meal excitedly. Max sighed as he took a bite out of his sandwich, frankly disappointed in his friend. Rose and Juleka had both gotten cones and were sharing a 20-piece nugget box (what is it with this class and chicken nuggets? _More on that later._) with one another.

"So, Marinette, Adrien," Sabrina said, "how are you two enjoying Rome? Isn't it amazing?"

"It is amazing!" Marinette agreed.

"I can't say I have any complaints," smiled Adrien.

"I also can't help but notice how Alya and Nino are _really _enjoying that salad over there," said Nathanael, chuckling as he pointed over to the couple.

They also noticed how Chloe was at their table (since she didn't want to be alone in this crowded mall; she always had a servant to accompany her on shopping trips!), and was absolutely disgusted by Alya and Nino's romantic shenanigans. She was making the absolute best faces too - they almost rivaled the lovey-dovey eyes the couple were giving each other!

"Well," said Kim, taking a sip out of his very cartoon-ish milk cup, "I gotta say: that is the first Happy Meal I've had in ten years, and I'm officially addicted again. Me and Ondine's first date this summer will be with Happy Meals underneath the moonlight..."

"What toy did you get?" Max asked, just for the hell of it.

"Oh, they gave me a cheap cup," said Kim. "Frankly, I'm very disappointed. I expected a toy!"

"The fact he's so upset over this Happy Meal," Adrien whispered to Marinette.

Marinette couldn't stop giggling for the next minute; mainly because, as it always was, Marinette's giggles were contagious, and they quickly spread around the surrounding area. Ivan and Alix, who were passing by and chatting, also started laughing because of Marinette's giggles.

"How was your Happy Meal, Kim?" Rose asked sweetly, as she always did.

"It was good!" Kim said proudly. "How were your nuggets?"

"Nuggets taste really good if you put them in ice cream," Juleka said.

"BLERGH!" Max said.

"What? Don't knock it till you've tried it, man," said the goth girl.

Anyway, after the whole gang finished up eating, Adrien and Marinette went to go rescue Alya and Nino from Chloe's company (she went to go haunt Nathanael and Sabrina, bless their souls), the gang walked around to do some aimless browsing.

"Marinette?" the girl heard a voice say. "Could you come here for a sec?"

"Sure!" she ran over to the hat section, where she found Mme. Bustier trying on sun hats. "How does this look on me?" she asked, showing off the sun hat.

"It looks perfect!" Marinette smiled. "It fits your style exactly!"

"Thank you, Marinette!" the teacher said, giving her a thankful smile.

After she returned to her little group, she noticed Adrien was looking at something on his phone and blushing at it.

"What'cha looking at?" asked Marinette.

"Just... this is really cute," Adrien chuckled.

Marinette looked at the picture, and immediately blushed redder than Nathanael's hair.

...When did she and Adrien_ hold hands _on the trip?!

* * *

**See! Fluffy class antics! And nothing else of the sort! ...Right? ;) (hey uh seCURITY WHO KEEPS LETTIN HIM IN-)**

**Anyway, I... I have no regrets. Kim and Happy Meals. That's the new ship of the story - move over Adrienette. Happy Meals x Kim for life. XD**

**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! The next one is gonna be centered more around the relationship between Adrien and Nathalie being strengthened, if I'm not mistaken. :) However, that is subject to change - not exactly sure what all I want the next chapter to have just yet. XD**

**Regardless, thanks for reading guys! Please let me know what you thought! I love you all! :D**

**Previous: Chapter 5 - Current: Chapter 6 - Next: Chapter 7**


	7. Chapter 7

**This chapter has a tiny lil time skip - just about a day or two, so about four days since the class made it to Rome. :) **

**(this chapter also has a lot of stuffs from the other peeps on the trip)**

* * *

_**7:30 PM**_

Nathanael sat down calmly on his bed in the hotel room, looking out the window as he sketched the Wednesday evening skyline for pure fun. He really didn't have a lot of inspiration for drawing lately, so this was a nice breath of fresh air for him.

He was also in a very Rome-y mood lately; he had liked the trip so far, but he was just now getting the hang of the historical city. He was so awestruck by the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica, which were the two big things they had seen so far. Tomorrow, they would tour the Roman Forum, and on Friday they would go to the Colosseum. It was all so exciting!

And then, Sabrina walked back into their hotel room, which interrupted his thought process - but he didn't mind.

"Hey Nath!" Sabrina said, sitting back down on her bed. "What's up?"

"Not much," Nathanael said, looking over at the redhead. "I'm still going through art block, but this sunset is proving to be very helpful with fixing that."

"It is beautiful, isn't it?" smiled Sabrina. "Hey... y'know, I'm surprised Lila didn't come on this trip."

"I'm surprised we didn't run into her, with how much she says she travels," Nathanael muttered, chuckling lightly.

"She just... doesn't rub off on me right," the girl admitted. "Some stuff she says just doesn't add up."

"Oh, I know, right?" he said. "Its like she lies as easy as she breathes."

"Yeah... how long before it really ruins someone?" she asked.

"I hope it never does," Nathanael said quietly.

And then... he took a deep breath. He needed to say something.

"Hey... Sabrina... c-could I tell you something?" he asked. "I really need to get this off my chest."

"Oh, s-sure!" Sabrina said, rubbing the back of her head.

Nathanael then said it. "I-I like you... and like, more than a friend. Like, _like _you."

Sabrina was blushing madly... she couldn't believe it. He crush actually liked her back!

"I-I feel the same way!" she blurted out.

Nathanael smiled so widely, it was like he had just discovered a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. He would definitely be talking to his best pal Marc about this when he got the chance...

In the meantime, however, he just found a new burst of inspiration.

"C-Could you, uhm... could you sit down on the bed for a minute?" asked the artist shyly. "I think I know what I want to draw now."

Sabrina complied, and before long, Nathanael had a rough sketch of what he knew would be his favorite piece of artwork yet.

* * *

Adrien had just arrived in Nathalie's room to discuss something which she had deemed "highly important" - it wasn't related to his father, thankfully, so that made him ease up a bit.

"Adrien... I'd like to ask you something," Nathalie said softly, as she sat on the bed next to her boss's son.

"Of course Nathalie," said the teen model, "what is it?"

"Well... there's really no easy way to ask this," she muttered silently, "but... do you have a crush on that blue-haired girl, Marinette?"

Adrien's cheeks immediately went red as he started talking defensively. "W-What?! No, o-of course not! Mari's just a friend!"

Nathalie couldn't help but chuckle silently... poor kid was flustered. Then again, she really couldn't blame him; Marinette was a very pretty young lady. And with how sweet and kind she was, Nathalie couldn't necessarily blame him for falling for her.

"Adrien... if you do," she continued, "just know that it is perfectly okay and normal for a boy your age to like a girl. There's absolutely nothing wrong with it."

"I-I..." Adrien started, but he ended up sighing. "Yeah... I guess I do. I mean, she's such a sweet person - and so talented! She's a great artist, a great baker, a great dancer, a great gamer - literally anything, Marinette could probably do it! I-I guess... I'm just worried."

"About what?"

"Well... what if she doesn't like me back?"

Nathalie had to suppress a laugh at this one - this trip was really allowing her to loosen up. She wasn't at work, so she had no need of keeping up the stoic appearance she normally wore. She could give Adrien advice about girls, talk to him like an auntie, and just... be there for him.

"Adrien," said Nathalie sweetly, "if you tell Marinette that you like her, I have no doubt in my mind that she will say that she likes you back."

"I... I guess I'm just kinda nervous," admitted Adrien.

"And there's nothing wrong with that," said Nathalie supportively. "Just... make sure that you're ready to tell her before you do it. You don't want to get cold feet, right?"

"No!" Adrien said bluntly.

Nathalie let out a giggle at this. "Well, go for it! Whenever you feel ready, I'm sure she'll have no problem returning the feeling."

"Thank you Nathalie," said Adrien, smiling as he hugged her. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

And Nathalie hugged back. "You're welcome, Adrien."

* * *

_You can talk to her about anything... You can talk to her about anything..._

This was the sentence that repeated itself over and over in Marinette's head as she stood in front of this particular hotel room. Chloe had gone down to the hotel pool (and dragged Sabrina with her), so there was no cautions she would have to take while in this room.

And then, she knocked.

"Come in!" the voice said a second later.

Marinette opened the door, and saw her teacher sitting on chair in front of the desk. "Mme. Bustier? Could... could I talk to you about something?"

"Of course, Marinette!" the teacher said, putting her book down with a bookmark in it, and spinning around in the chair to face her student as she took a seat on the other chair in the room. "What's on your mind, darling?"

"Uh... c-could I ask you... I-I'm thinking about doing something," Marinette said, "and I'm really nervous about it. C-Could you help me out?"

"Are you planning on confessing to your crush?" asked Caline, smiling knowingly.

Marinette gave a bashful nod.

"Marinette, there is nothing more pure in this world than love," the teacher said. "Its honestly such a wonderful thing, and it makes a person feel so happy. And I think I know who this mystery person is..."

"Its that obvious?" Marinette said, looking down.

"Oh, Marinette, that's not a bad thing!" Mme. Bustier said, "I'm just thankful that... well, you told me your secret. I was beginning to worry it was your crush that was affecting your grades instead of being our spot-clad superhero."

What the teacher would say next would have a lasting affect on Marinette.

"...And I think he likes you too."

"Meep!" Marinette squeaked, blushing. "U-Uh... r-really?"

"Marinette, you should have seen his face when I told him you two were going to be put together," Caline smiled. "I don't even know if he would've lit up like that had he been rooming with Nino. The point I'm getting at here is that you have nothing to worry about when it comes to confessing. If you tell Adrien, honestly and openly, how you feel about him... I really think he'll say he likes you back."

Marinette smiled brightly at this. She retained her blush, but it was a happy blush. She was seriously so happy right now.

"Thank you Mme. Bustier. You... you've really helped me," said Marinette. "Could-Could I hug you?"

"Sure!" the teacher smiled, hugging Marinette happily. She loved her students like they were her very own, and Marinette was absolutely no exception; she was such a sweet young girl, who just so happened to have a crush on a classmate. If she couldn't hope to confide in her teacher, that Caline knew she wasn't doing her job right.

And once they separated, she gave a supportive smile to Marinette. "Trust me, Marinette. I think he really does like you."

"Wouldn't that be something," Marinette giggled.

And with that, Marinette made her way back to her room, and didn't stop smiling the whole way; when she flopped back on her desk, her kwami came out to talk to her.

"How'd it go, Marinette?" asked Tikki.

"I think... I think I'm almost ready," Marinette said confidently. "I might just need a bit more time... but I feel good about it."

Adrien then walked into the room.

_And all her confidence seemed to just hurl itself out the window._

"Hey Mari!" Adrien smiled, waving at her. "I was over with Nathalie for a bit."

"That's cool! I was talking to Mme. Bustier about something," Marinette smiled.

"Hope its nothing concerning," he said.

"Its the exact opposite," the young designer smiled.

"Great!" Adrien smiled, flopping down on his bed and taking out his phone. "The Basilica was awesome, wasn't it?"

"It was," Marinette nodded. "All of Rome is so beautiful!"

"It really is!" Adrien agreed.

_Like someone else I know... _he thought inwardly.

Yes, he would always love Ladybug... but he was starting to realize that she was either, a. looking for another guy, or b. really not interested in him - and that was okay. Ladybug could like whoever he wanted.

Of course he would still jokingly flirt with her - it had become more of a running gag now. More toned down, especially now that Adrien was realizing his crush on Marinette...

Come to think of it, both Marinette and Ladybug had blue hair and pigtails...

What a coincidence!

* * *

_**4:00 AM**_

It was the middle of the night.

And no, this was not another scenario where Kim was doing push-ups and waking up Rose and Juleka - this time, it was Adrien. Waking up on his own accord.

He shot up in his bed, and looked over to his left.

Marinette was still sleeping soundly, snug as a bug in a rug. She was snoring quietly, which Adrien found absolutely adorable - her bedhead was also starting to show, which he also found adorable-

Okay, he needed to re-focus. As much as he would love to admire how literally everything about Marinette was adorable, he had one thought rushing through his head right now: what if... what if _Marinette was Ladybug?!_

At first, he thought it was his brain trying to justify how he had probably liked them both at the same time - but then things started piling up that suggested this wasn't just him. Blue hair... pigtails... same cute lips... same beautiful and rosy cheeks... same crystal-blue eyes...

It seemed like too much of a coincidence to be true.

He flopped backwards onto the pillow...

And accidentally hit the bedpost in the process.

"Ow!" he seethed after the loud thump.

Marinette had shot up in an instant, as if she had to go fight an akuma. "A-Adrien?" she said tiredly, wiping her eyes as she turned on the lamp. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah... I was getting a drink," Adrien lied, "and I must've flopped back down too hard... it is dark in here without that light."

"Are you in any pain?" Marinette asked softly.

"Not at all, Mari," Adrien said, smiling as he rubbed the back of his head lightly. "You can go back to sleep... sorry for waking you."

"You never have to be sorry for that," Marinette said kindly. "G'night Adrien..." she said, rolling back over.

"Night Mari," Adrien said, reaching to turn off the lamp. He should probably get back to sleep too...

But it wasn't as easy as before.

After all...

Ladybug could potentially be in the bed next to him.

* * *

***sniff**sniff* y'all smell that... smells like aN IDENTITY REVEALLLLL**

**I am SO EXCITED to write a reveal! I haven't written one in so long! Its gonna be SO CUTE AND FLUFFY I PROMISE! I mean, its not really a spoiler, right? Like, I feel obligated to write a reveal in a MLB multi-chapter story. XD**

**In the meantime however, I hope you guys enjoyed the Adrienette/side-SabriNath! See you guys soon! Love you all!**

**Previous: Chapter 6 - Current: Chapter 7 - Next: Chapter 8**


	8. Chapter 8

**So, uhm... I saw Avengers Endgame. Yep. Well, uh... THAT SHIT HURTED**

**Expect a lot of MCU references in this. No spoilers, just referencing amazing characters. :')**

* * *

"Now _that _was awesome!"

Adrien had just sat down on his hotel room bed, and was marveling back at all the stuff that they had seen at the Roman Forum. It was such a beautiful place... Rome was such a fascinating city! He seriously wouldn't mind moving here.

"It was awesome!" Marinette agreed. "And we're going to go see the Colosseum tomorrow too! I seriously don't see how this trip could get any better."

"I don't either," Adrien chuckled. "This... this has been amazing. And I'm so glad I get to experience it with you."

"Aww, thanks Adrien," Marinette smiled warmly. "I'm glad I get to experience it with you too!"

After a while, when Adrien checked his Instagram, he noticed that some of the fangirls were starting to worry where he was - he literally hadn't posted in two days. How dare he. He facepalmed as he decided to make a story so his followers didn't get distressed.

"Hey all, just chillin' in Rome with the best people ever," Adrien said, "One of which is right over here - say hi Mari!"

"Hi!" Marinette said, waving to the camera which had been pointed at her.

"For all of you people asking where I am, uh... I'm somewhere in Rome," Adrien continued. "Good luck!"

And with that, the story ended. Marinette chuckled lightly. "You sure you didn't give them too much info?"

Adrien's face sank. "Shoot."

Marinette laughed happily. "Well, look on the bright side - we get to go to the Colosseum tomorrow! And we're going to a church and the Vatican on Sunday."

"Ooh yeah, that'll be awesome!" Adrien said excitedly.

Suddenly, Marinette got a call notification from her parents - she opened up her FaceTime app, and was actually greeted by four faces instead of the typical two she'd expect. Who were the other two, you'd ask?

None other than Luka and Kagami.

"Hey Marinette!" Luka said.

"Luka? Kagami?" she said, confused but not upset. "What are you two doing there?"

"Adrien texted us and told us the bakery was a few hands short," Kagami said. "Luka and I happened to be together at the time, so we figured we'd offer our assistance until you get back."

"These kids know how to bake too!" Tom boomed happily from the background. "Thank you so much, Adrien! You've just sped up productivity from its slow!"

"Aw, its no problem," Adrien said, sitting down on Marinette's bed next to her.

"Adrien... that was so sweet of you," Marinette said softly, smiling at him.

Adrien could only blush and rub the back of his head. He was still figuring out how to cope with his newfound crush on Marinette.

"Oh, also - your dad is a pro at Mecha Strike III!" Luka said from the background. "He's beat me three times in a row!"

Marinette was shocked - of all people she thought would be bad at that game, Luka Couffaine was at the bottom of the list. Adrien seemed surprised as well, but he kept to himself, save for a few shocked snickers.

Tom laughed from the background too. "At long last, I remain undefeated!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" she heard Luka ask.

"Its best you don't know, sweetheart," Sabine giggled. "Well, you seem all ready for bed tonight! Was today exhausting?"

"We walked the Roman Forum," she said, chuckling. "Adrien can testify - we are worn out."

"I feel like I could sleep more than a cat," he joked. He managed to hide the shock in his face that he had made a cat pun in his civilian form, but thankfully Marinette didn't seem to notice.

"Well, I'll let you two sweethearts rest," Sabine smiled. "Have a great day tomorrow! Be sure to keep me posted!"

"Bye Ms. Cheng!" Adrien said, waving goodbye. "Bye, Mr. Dupain! Enjoy your time at the bakery, Luka - you too Kagami!"

"Will do!" Luka echoed.

"Bye guys!" Kagami said, waving goodbye.

"See ya honey," Tom smiled.

"Bye papa, bye maman!" smiled Marinette, waving bye as she ended the call cheerfully. "See you Luka, bye Kagami!"

And with that, the call ended.

* * *

_**Back in Paris...**_

Sabine sighed happily, laying her phone down. She was so happy her baby girl was getting the opportunity to learn so much of the ancient city's history.

"Thank goodness there hasn't been an akuma attack too!" Tom said, winking at Sabine. "Ladybug and Chat Noir have been oddly quiet lately..."

"Oh, you two didn't hear?" Luka asked.

"Hear what?" the two adults asked simultaneously.

Kagami pulled out her phone and pulled up a news article, showing that an akuma had attacked in Rome. "Apparently, that's where Ladybug and Chat Noir were... I wonder what they were doing in Rome."

"I don't know," Sabine muttered, a confused expression on her face.

"Hey, Kagami, can you help me finish tidying up?" asked Luka.

"Sure!" she said, walking over.

When the two knew they were for sure out of earshot, they began to whisper to one another.

"Its _painfully _obvious now," Kagami groaned. "Like... how have they not realized?"

"I don't know what its gonna take," Luka muttered, rubbing his forehead. "Those two... I mean, I love them both, but they are idiots."

Kagami sighed, but then, she perked up.

"Well... at least it did lead to one thing," she said.

"Hmm?"

She then softly squeezed Luka's hand. "Us."

He smiled cheerily. "Yeah, that is right... but still, I stand by what I said."

Kagami chuckled brightly. The two then leaned over and touched foreheads...

"Some cleaning you two are doing!"

A loud voice caused the two to immediately react, jumping back and blushing madly.

"W-We-we were just-"

"Oh, sweetie, you scared them!" Sabine said.

"Ooh! Sorry!" Tom said, immediately looking regretful. "Its just, well... I guess I wanted to try my attempt at a dramatic entrance?"

"You did very well, sir," Kagami chuckled.

"And besides, there was no more dishes when you two came in for the call," Tom said, smirking. "I figured something was up."

Luka's face dropped. "H-How much of what we said did you hear?"

"Oh, dear, its a mother's intuition to know," Sabine giggled. "Its only those two who can't seem to piece it together."

"I know, right?!" Luka blurted, before covering his mouth. "I-I'm sorry-"

Kagami laughed underneath her hand. "What say we just... relax, and watch that movie you were suggesting?"

"Oh, right!" Luka said. "'Elf' is an absolute classic. You all will love it."

* * *

_**8:00 PM**_

Adrien and Marinette were both in their pj's, on their respective beds, staring up at the ceiling in comfortable silence. The two had just finished a conversation about which superhero they would be - in a fictional case. Adrien went for Hawkeye, and Marinette went for Black Widow - they were both secretly huge Marvel nerds.

"So... what are you most looking forward to for the remainder of our trip?" Adrien asked, breaking the silence.

"Honestly? The Colosseum's amazing, but I'm also looking forward to the Vatican," she said, smiling as she spoke about their future travels. "You?"

"I can't say I disagree with you," he said, "they all sound so cool... and we get to spend it together! That just makes it cooler."

"Y-You think I'm cool?" Marinette asked.

"Course I do! Who doesn't think you're cool," Adrien said.

"Lila... and Chloe," Marinette said, sighing lightly.

"...Hey, you want me to let you in on a little secret?" asked Adrien. "Chloe... doesn't actually hate you. I really don't think she does."

"Wha?!" Marinette said, almost bolting upright. "No..."

"I'm serious," Adrien said. "She only acts like how she does whenever you're around... whenever I ask her about you on a normal basis, she answers like she does to everyone else's name: she's alright. I really don't think she hates you, or Alya."

Marinette honestly didn't know what to think... she had completely lost all understanding of her surroundings.

"W-Wow... I-I never would've guessed."

"I know she's a pain, but she's not as bad as you always may experience," Adrien said. "I just wish she'd always be like how she is whenever me and her are together."

"Well, if anything," Marinette said, "I like her as much as an average classmate compared to Lila."

Adrien snickered. "Really... does anyone like her? I mean, what with how much she lies - we're only putting on an act."

"You all need bachelor's degrees in acting, if that's the case!" Marinette laughed.

The two spent a good amount of time laughing over this. Adrien now finally understood why he liked Marinette - she was _herself. _Duh! She was sweet, bright, and cute Marinette - the girl who could draw. The girl who could dance. The girl who could sing. But there was one more thing...

She _could _be Ladybug.

However, if that turned out to be false, Adrien had a feeling it wouldn't matter. He liked Marinette for one main reason that he couldn't exactly pinpoint - but he knew it was there. And that wasn't because she could be Ladybug... he knew that much.

"Well, Adrien, I think I'm gonna go to sleep," Marinette said. "You can do whatever you want to do, but I think its bed time for me... I'm worn out."

"Sleep tight, Mari," Adrien smiled. "I think I'm gonna go over to someone else's room for a bit, so feel free to shut off the lights."

"Sounds great," she said, turning over. "Night Adrien..."

"Night Mari," he smiled.

He then slipped on his shoes, and walked off to go visit Kim, Juleka, and Rose's room, where he had a sneaking suspicion there was an impending doom coming from that room.

His suspicions were confirmed when the jock invited him to a game of Uno.

* * *

At this same time, Gabriel paced back and forth in his rented penthouse, looking over the Roman skyline - it gave him a clear view of the Colosseum, where he so greatly desired to have an akuma fight with Ladybug and Chat Noir one day...

But still, something deep inside troubled him... and he couldn't pinpoint it.

Suddenly, his phone buzzed - Nathalie was calling him.

"Hello?" he said, picking up.

"What are you doing in Rome?" she asked firmly. "You know your son is on a vacation trip here. Why would you seek to ruin such a wonderful opportunity for him?"

Gabriel sighed deeply. "Evil never rests, Nathalie."

"And you're willing to turn your son's vacation trip into a stressful look-over-your-shoulder event? All for what? A few measly akumas?" she asked.

"Roman akumas are different, Ms. Sancouer," said Gabriel firmly. "They are... more violent. Harder to control."

"As if Adrien would need something else to worry about," said Nathalie. "So sir... I'm going to say this as gently as I can: _do not send another akuma._ End of discussion."

And with that, Nathalie hung up. Gabriel set his phone back down on his lamp stand, and sighed...

"Sorry, Nathalie," he muttered. "But you heard what I said... evil never rests."

He then boldly stood up.

"And tomorrow, I will create the most dangerous akuma I've ever made."

* * *

**I AM SOSOSOSO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG! HOPEFULLY IT WON'T BE AS LONG NEXT TIME :D :D :D**

**Hope you all enjoyed! PLEASE review and let me know what you thought! See you all next chapter! Love you all! :D**

**Previous: Chapter 7 - Current: Chapter 8 - Next: Chapter 9**


	9. Chapter 9

**This is an Adrien-centric chapter... as far as I can tell. XD I just need more of my blonde boi and everyone loving him. Hope ye guys enjoy it! :D**

* * *

_**9:00 PM**_

After a very, very intense set of Uno games (and an unusual amount of profanity from Rose), Adrien finally decided he needed to go back to his room. After thanking Kim, Rose, and Juleka for having him, he walked quietly back over to his room. The room was pitch black, save for the tiny glow of moonlight and the light from his phone screen.

He crawled into bed, yawned, and tried his best to fall asleep...

But after thirty minutes of tossing and turning, it became clear to him that he wasn't falling asleep any time soon.

"Dammit," he sighed quietly, facing the ceiling.

Adrien quietly shifted his weight to the corner of his bed, uncovered himself, slipped his shoes back on, and grabbed his coat and a key card to the room, before stepping out to the hallway. Max was outside, checking his phone, and he gave a wave to Adrien.

"Where are you headed?" he asked.

"To get some fresh air," Adrien said.

Max nodded. "Did you and Marinette have a quarrel?"

Adrien nearly choked on air. "Wh-Wha?! No! No no no, she's asleep right now. I just couldn't fall asleep myself."

"Ah, I see," Max said. "Well, do enjoy the air. It is quite nice this evening."

Adrien nodded, and walked downstairs, and out the lobby. The moment he got outside, a deep chill hit him from all sides... but at least he wasn't warm anymore.

For a while, he just stood there... thinking. It was nice to get away from everyone for a moment and just think.

"You're certainly pushing the curfew."

Adrien turned around in shock, only to find Mme. Bustier behind him, with a nurturing smile on her face. She was smart - she had brought her robe.

"I-I'm sorry," Adrien said, "I-I just-"

"Its okay, sweetheart," she said, stepping next to him. "It isn't until 10:30, anyway... what are you doing out here?"

"Just couldn't sleep," Adrien answered.

The teacher nodded. "Those nights happen to us all..."

Adrien sighed audibly, and she looked over, her feelings telling her that wasn't the only thing keeping him up.

"Have you enjoyed rooming with Marinette?" she started. She had a feeling she knew where she needed to go, she just had to carefully get there.

"Absolutely! She's literally the perfect roomie," Adrien smiled. "I don't mean I wouldn't have roomed with someone else, I'm just saying-"

"I know what you're saying," Mme. Bustier smiled. "I had a feeling you two would go well together. You seem to like each other..."

Adrien blushed visibly - she knew it for sure now. A light giggle escaped her throat by accident, putting her in jeopardy.

"Wh-What?" Adrien asked, chuckling nervously.

"Oh, nothing," Caline smiled gently. "Its just, well... you seem to have taken quite a fancy to her lately."

Now he was really nervous - he tried explaining, but to no avail. "I-I swear its not like t-that-we're just friends!"

"Indeed you are," she said, smiling gently. "...Right now, at least. Adrien, Marinette is a very sweet girl - there's nothing wrong with having a crush on her."

He sighed into the night air, defeated... and yet, happy she knew, and was okay with it. At least now there wouldn't be any need of hiding it from her.

"I guess I don't know how to handle it," he said. "I've been so... out of the general public for so long, I guess its new to me to just like an ordinary girl. B-But Marinette isn't normal! She's amazingly talented, she's wonderful, and so sweet... I just feel like she'd be out of my league."

"Oh, sweetie, out of _your _league?" she asked, almost exasperated at this comment. "Trust me when I say that you are 100% in league for her. You two would make a sweet couple. And besides, you two seem like such a good combo already. I don't see why she wouldn't want to be with you."

Adrien smiled, and looked up at his teacher. "Thank you, Mme. Bustier... I really needed to hear that."

"You're welcome, Adrien," she smiled, patting him on the shoulder. "Now let's get back inside. I am _freezing._"

Adrien chuckled, and followed his teacher back inside the hotel. When he got back to his room, he was more than ready to fall back asleep...

When suddenly...

"Hey. Kid."

"Jeez! Plagg, what are you doing?!" Adrien scream-whispered to his kwami, who was right in front of him. "Marinette's right there!"

"She's a heavy sleeper, listen to those snores, you're fine!" Plagg said. "Anyway, why did you spend twenty minutes outside?"

"Just needed to clear my head, that's all," he replied, turning over. "Now can you please go to sleep?"

"Don't count on it," Plagg chuckled. "I've slept all day. I'm gonna probably be up late thinking about cheese-and he's out. Of course."

* * *

_**7:30 **_**_PM, Friday_**

"Alright, children - and accompanying adults," Caline said, standing up on the bus, "we are nearing the Colosseum, the star attraction of our trip here!"

"At long last!" Alix exclaimed. "Do you think there's still blood on the sand?"

"...I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear that," the teacher said. "Anyway, we'll be getting off in about five minutes! We shall be walking to the Colosseum, mainly because the bus wouldn't fit into the lot."

"This is gonna be epic!" Nino laughed, looking out the window. "Can you believe it dude?"

"I really can't," Adrien chuckled, smiling as he looked out the window and tried to spot the historic landmark.

Kim then started giggling uncontrollably in his seat, for no apparent reason. "Why are you laughing, dude?" asked Alix.

"I-I don't know!" he giggled. In reality, he was thinking about a VERY stupid meme he was too embarrassed to admit was the cause of his laughter.

"Oh, hey, would you look at that-a bus parking spot! At long last, one of these has appeared," Armand sighed. "I don't know why you can't get decent parking in this city-"

"You okay, Armand?" asked Jalil.

The fencing teacher took a deep breath. "Yes... just... mildly peeved."

"Alright class, let's get walking!" Caline said, leading the drove of students and adults stepping off of the bus. The sun was starting to dwindle ever so slightly in the background of the ancient city, but the spirits of everyone were still as high as the peak of daylight.

"Hey, Nath!" Sabrina said. "Look at that pink section of the sky! It almost looks like your hair!"

"W-Wow, that's... that's really sweet, Sabrina, thank you," Nathanael said gently, brushing his hair out with his hand.

"Hey, look, I can almost see the thing!" Kim said happily, pointing upwards.

"You wanna give me a boost?" Alix asked her best frenemy.

"Sure," Kim said, hoisting Alix up onto his shoulders - she liked this point of view. Who was the tall one now, suckers?

"Hah, oh yeah, this is more like it!" she chuckled to herself.

"Hey, guys! You know what would be absolutely amazing?" Alya said to her boyfriend and two besties. "If Ladybug and Chat Noir got to fight an akuma in the Colosseum itself!"

"Woah... that's a big wish!" Marinette said.

"It seems impossible... I'd hope so at least!" Adrien added on.

"Dudes, that would be like, totally badass!" Nino laughed. "I'd so pay five bucks to see that."

Marinette and Adrien silently chuckled nervously... they both, individually, really didn't want to encounter an akuma again during their vacation.

Unfortunately, however, Lady Luck wouldn't be on their side this time when it came to that.

"Oh my-would you look at that!" Caline said. "We're here, class!"

Everyone almost simultaneously let out expressions of awe and amazement - almost immediately, pictures and selfies were being taken. Alya, Adrien, Marinette, and Nino took one (which Alix sneaked into - not that they minded), and then Adrien took one with Marinette individually. The redhead squad had once again regrouped (Nathanael, Sabrina, Mme. Bustier, and Alix) for a group photo, and everyone else continued to do their thing individually or with their friends.

"Jesus, this thing is massive," Kim muttered, looking up at the magnificent structure.

"Almost as big as Chloe's ego," Juleka whispered to him.

He had to hold back howls of laughter from that one - Juleka could end someone's whole career if she wanted. Rose evidently heard it too, as the young girl was snickering next to her close friend.

"What do you think, Nathalie? Isn't it gorgeous?" Adrien smiled.

"It is quite lovely," Nathalie smiled. "G?"

The Gorilla nodded in approval - he always loved architecture. The Colosseum was a prime example of the craft at its prime.

"Alright class, let's go on inside and get set up with a guide!" Mme. Bustier said. "Everyone follow Mr. Damocles, please."

The students began to file into the tour line doors, all of them still thoroughly impressed with the Colosseum... it was so magical.

It felt like nothing could ruin the night at all.

* * *

Valerie Cassidy was a girl who just wanted to get through the week as of right now.

She was currently on her last hour of her shift for the week at the cosmetics shop - after this, she could go home and rest. She was looking forward to the weekend like never before... and shit. Her boss was coming towards her.

"Hey Valerie," he said. "Sorry to break this to you - but I'm gonna need you to stay a little late tonight."

"Why?!" Valerie asked.

"Tamera has called in sick," said her boss. "And we need someone to cover for her, and you're the only employee left... sorry, but the responsibility falls on you tonight."

Tamera... the chick was probably just looking for an excuse to party.

"Fine," Valerie groaned.

"Thanks Val," said her boss. "I'll see if I can add a little extra to your pay this week."

"_Probably won't be more than ten bucks,_" Valerie thought, sulking as she walked away from behind the counter. She huffed angrily as she stepped (or, lightly stomped) over to the counter where the scented candles were sold, and she eagerly took a hold of the one that looked the most appealing.

At least the scent was pleasing... but she still felt angry. Why the hell did this have to fall on her?

She looked up to the ceiling and bit her lip to try and stop the angry tears from falling... this was the last thing she needed...

And Valerie didn't even notice the purple butterfly that had flown into the scented candle.

**_"Hello Vox, I am Hawk Moth. I am here to give you the power to show this Tamera character the true meaning of a graveyard shift - I will give you the power to freeze your opponents in a permanent ring of darkness, making their vision trick them into thinking the night has suddenly sprung upon them. However, on your way, pick up the Miraculouses of Ladybug and Chat Noir for me, will you?"_**

"Heck yes, Hawk Moth," Valerie smirked.

Valerie was then encased in an oily black and purple mist, before being transformed into a near exact replica of the Roman goddess of darkness - Vox.

* * *

**Another Roman-themed akuma! Hope ye like Vox when we see her in action! :D**

**And Alya... your wish just might come true... ;) Please let me know what ye thought! Thanks for reading guys! See you next chapter - love you all! :D**


End file.
